Now that we have a complete and polished cut of the film, Director Mike Edwards has been able to hold exclusive private screenings for influential people who may be able to help The Augusta Chiwy Foundation raise the money we need to get the film out to the rest of the world.
Those audience responses have been, to say the least, uniformly enthusiastic. People are frankly agog at the story and overwhelmed by the beauty of its presentation. We wanted to share a few of the formal endorsements we’ve received as a result.
On behalf of the Army Communications and Outreach Office, I am writing to formally express our office’s enthusiastic support for your film project, “A Train Near Magdeburg.”
Our office is dedicated to sharing outstanding Army stories, and the rescue of Jewish prisoners from a concentration camp-bound train by U.S. Army Soldiers during World War II is a profoundly moving testament to the heroism, humanity, and values of the American Soldier. It is a vital historical narrative that deserves to be brought to the forefront.
We have greatly appreciated your collaborative approach throughout this development process. You have been an outstanding partner to the U.S. Army, and we look forward to continuing our work together to ensure this remarkable chapter of our history is shared accurately and honorably with audiences worldwide.
Please accept our full endorsement and support as you move forward with this
production. We wish you and your creative team the very best.
Alayne Conway
Acting Principal Deputy, Office of Communications
United States Army
On behalf of the nearly 45,000 members of the National Guard Association of the United States, I offer our organization’s wholehearted support for your feature-length documentary, “A Train Near Magdeburg”, and to The Augusta Chiwy Foundation, which is helping bring this moving piece of history to the American public.
As the voice of National Guard officers, we advocate for greater awareness of the Citizen-Soldier’s role in shaping our nation and its values. The story of a World War II National Guard unit that liberated a train full of concentration-camp prisoners deserves the audience you seek, and we are proud to assist you.
Feel free to include our brand among the organizations endorsing your film. Our Communications Department will reach out to help publicize both this inspiring story and the years of dedication from the entities that made this film possible.
Francis M. McGinn
Major General, USA, Retired
President, National Guard Association of the United States
“A Train Near Magdeburg” is a powerful and moving film depicting the encounter between Holocaust survivors and their American liberators and their reunion more than a half century later. Battle weary fighters, who have killed and seen buddies die, came upon people who have endured the worst of humanity.
Warriors must become healers and lead the survivors on their long journey back to life. It shows teaching at its finest on two continents, in the United States and Germany, and students learning by doing, understanding the past and encountering men and women who lived history, who made history.
The work is compelling. The story is poignant. It is that rare movie that promises much and delivers more.
Dr. Michael Berenbaum
Project Leader, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Distinguished professor, American Jewish University
Author of The World Must Know
I think the film is utterly, utterly extraordinary.
You have managed to wrestle the various strands and layers from which it is composed to create something which is complex but compelling, and completely coherent. It’s incredibly moving and deeply inspiring, and tackles some really interesting questions about memory and history, and those who become its custodians with a very deft touch.
Structurally and aesthetically the devices and textures that you employ to access the past in question feel dynamically innovative and simultaneously representationally sensitive and appropriate.
Dr. James Bulgin
Head of Public History
The Imperial War Museum